Nine infants die due to measles

KENDAL, Central Java (JP): Nine infants below five years of age in Telogopayung village here have died of measles in the past month.

Mrs. Suwanto, the wife of the head of Plantungan district, which oversees the village, said on Sunday the babies could have been saved had they received proper medical attention.

"I'm surprised to hear the news that the babies died, although I believe the disease could have been cured," she said.

Local health office head Anies Zakaria was not available for comment. A housemaid said Anies was on an official visit to East Java.

Meanwhile, the director of state Soewondo Hospital here, Sasmito, said measles usually attack malnourished children.

"Measles are not harmful. The disease is only dangerous if it causes an infection in the lower part of the respiratory tract," he said.

The local office of the United Nations Children Fund has found nearly 2,000 children under five years of age in Central Java who are malnourished. Forty of the children have died. (har)